> Funny, that's lot like the old argument against floating point. If
> you don't even know the range and precision you need, then you don't
> understand the system well enough to build it at all!

Exactly!

> Last I heard, Charles Moore, Mr. FORTH, still says this.

I say the same thing.

> Do you use floating point?

After determining the range and precision I need, I see if a
floating point engine can be used. Often I use integer (or some
languages fixed point), or a rational arithmetic package instead.
There are times when the best way to get the right answer is to use
floating point. But if you don't know what arithmetic to use in your
program why did you start coding?

Flame retardant, and a way to make it relevant to all these
groups. ;-) Right now I am looking into a public key authentication
method for Java applets. It looks like the fastest method--for
users--will use either square roots or cube roots modulo the product
of two large primes. Obviously I can prototype using floating point
(as long as I pay attention to what I am doing!) but any production
code will have to use a multiprecision arithmetic package.
--
Robert I. Eachus